Executive Summary

E-Control, together with junior partner CRE from France and RAE from Greece with support from German BNetzA and Lithuanian NCC, was awarded the implementation of this project end of 2018. Implementation started on February 1, 2019 when the RTA arrived in Georgia.

The purpose of this Twinning Project is to develop the institutional framework for the implementation of regulation of Georgia’s energy market in line with the European Union acquis and to strengthen the capabilities of the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC) as the independent national regulatory authority through the development of tools and mechanisms based on the best European Union practice with regard to designing incentive-based regulation for service quality and developing regulatory strategy to support roll-out of smart metering.

CLOSURE –

Final Conference „Twinning project implemented by Austrian-French-Greek consortium assisted Georgia in improvement of energy supply quality and in roll-out of smart meters“

On Thursday, January 21, 2021, the European Union marked the closing of the “Development of Incentive Based Regulation for Service Quality and Regulatory Strategy to Support Roll-out of Smart Metering” Twinning project.

The 24-month project, funded by the European Union with a budget of € 1 200 000 brought Austrian, French and Greek regulatory experts together with experts of the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC) to further improve energy service quality standards and develop a regulatory strategy to support the roll-out of smart metering.

“Georgia has achieved remarkable progress in transposition of EU energy regulations. The new laws on Energy and Water Supply and Energy Efficiency mark Georgia’s continued commitment to EU rules and standards. It is gratifying to see the achievements of the Twinning project as part of our long-term assistance to the independent energy regulator, GNERC,” noted the Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia Ms. Sigrid Brettel.

Mr. David Bujiashvili, Director of the EU Assistance Coordination and Sectoral Integration Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, placed emphasis on the role of the EU in assisting Georgia to come closer to the western values, as well as declared aspiration of Georgia to become the member of the big European Family laid down in the new governmental programme – “Building European State”. Furthermore, in his speech he underlined the significance of development of Georgia’s energy market regulation, highlighting that the quality of energy supply is a key element for the country’s economic development and smart meters will help to better plan the energy needs of customers.

In their openings, BC Project Leader, Mr. Giorgi Pangani and MS Project Leader, Mr. Dietmar Preinstorfer emphasised the good teamwork which lead to outstanding results despite difficult circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the support the project received from the managements of the Austrian E-Control, French CRE and the Greek authority, RAE.

Junior MS Project Leader Ms. Anne-Lise Teani, MS expert Ms. Silviya Deyanova underlined in their presentations that the Georgian approach to commercial quality is in line with European best practice and congratulated her Georgian counterpart, Ms. Ana Zaridze to the achieved results in this field.

In their speeches Junior MS Project Leader, Mr. George Paidakakis, MS expert, Mr. Harald Proidl and Mr. Zviad Gachechiladze from GNERC focused on key deliverables and results achieved in the field of smart metering and stressed the importance of conducted Cost Benefit Analysis for the roll-out of smart meters in Georgia.